Kembang Suling is one of Farr's earliest works and has become a standard in the repertoire for flute and percussion, displaying the composer's love of Indonesian gamelan music.
Kembang Suling is three musical snapshots of Asia:
I. On the magical island of Bali, flowing gamelan melodies intertwine with the sound of the suling (Balinese bamboo flute) to form rich colourful tapestries. The marimba and flute start out as one, their sounds indistinguishable. Bit by bit the flute asserts its independence, straying further and further from the marimba melody. An argument ensues – but all is resolved at the climax.
II. The haunting sounds of the Japanese shakuhachi flute float out over the warm echoes of the rolling landscape.
III. Complex rhythms and South Indian scales set the two instruments off in a race to see who can outplay the other. The marimba is set in a three bar cycle of 5/4 + 5/8 + 5/16 but the flute plays a different cross-rhythm each time, returning to the marimba's pattern at the end of every cycle.
